Read John 5:1-15.

In Jesus’ day, there was a pool in Jerusalem called the Pool of Bethesda. It was famous for its supposed healing properties. Fed by underground springs, every so often the water would bubble and swirl on the surface, a circumstance that came to be attributed to the work of an angel. Whoever got into the water first after one of these “angelic stirrings” would receive healing for whatever their ailment.

John’s gospel doesn’t tell us how many people were at the pool the day Jesus showed up. Maybe there were dozens—perhaps hundreds. But Jesus singled out a certain man who had been unable to walk for thirty-eight years—and only him. Jesus then asked the man, “Do you want to get well?” (John 5:6). It seems a silly question, but of course, our Lord does not ask foolish questions. He asked the man this question not for His own information but for the man’s own sake.

Strange as it may seem, there are people who do not want to be made whole, who do not want divine intervention for their problems. These people do not want to receive strength for their weakness. Outwardly they say they want to get well, but inwardly they’ve grown comfortable with their condition. Some enjoy being a victim; they like the attention. Others fear change. They know that if they were to get better, they would have to assume responsibility for their lives.

The man answered Jesus, “Sir, . . . I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me” (v. 7). In other words, “Yes, Jesus, I want to be made well, but I need help. And as a result, I’ve given up hope.” Jesus’ response to his hopelessness was not “Hang in there.” He didn’t offer to make him more comfortable with a new mat or some food. No, this is the Lord of glory, the God of the universe! He dealt miraculously with the invalid, as only the Almighty God can, giving us yet another sign of His exclusivity.

First, Jesus told the man to do the impossible: “Get up!” (v. 8). He asked the man to do something he hadn’t been able to do for thirty-eight years. Would you be able to do what seemed impossible if Jesus had asked you? It was precisely in this man’s act of trusting obedience that the miracle took place and he was healed.

Second, Jesus told the man to take up his mat (see v. 8). He could have gotten someone else to help the man, so why did Jesus tell the man to pick up his own mat? It was a way of assuring him that his healing was permanent. In the moment, the man might have doubted, thinking, I’ll just leave my mat here. I don’t want to lose my spot if this healing doesn’t last. But Jesus wanted him—and us—not to make provisions to return to our brokenness after we’ve been delivered.

Third, Jesus told the man to walk (see v. 8). Jesus made the man whole. He didn’t need to be carried or nursed—those days were over. The same Jesus who gives us the power to rise up will give us the power to be daily strengthened in Him.

Later that day, Jesus found this man at the temple, and He said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you” (v. 14). This man had needed physical healing at the pool, but more than that, he needed spiritual healing. By warning the man about his sin, Jesus was inviting him into a new life, clean and whole before the Father. The Lord had given the man back the use of his legs, but that was nothing compared with the gift of His presence in the glories of heaven.

Prayer: Lord, Your works are wondrous. When You renew and redeem, You do it completely. I know You are preparing a place for me even now and are preparing me to take my place in it. I look forward to the feast of the Lamb in the new heaven and new earth. Meanwhile, continue to transform me and use me for Your glory and Your Kingdom. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

“Then Jesus said to him, ‘Get up! Pick up your mat and walk’” (John 5:8).

Learn more in Dr. Michael A. Youssef’s sermon Evidence of the Exclusivity of Jesus: Broken to Restored: LISTEN NOW

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